<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>The Path of an Anarchist Teenager by OmegaVerz</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28312395">The Path of an Anarchist Teenager</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/OmegaVerz/pseuds/OmegaVerz'>OmegaVerz</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>OV's MCYT Unconnected Stories [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anarchist Sleepy Bois, Anarchist TommyInnit, Angst, BAMF TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), But no one dies, Cannon divergence - DreamSMP, Dream Smp, Exiled TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Lvl30 Enchantments Discord, Mentions of Blood, Not Beta Read Oops, Ranboo and TommyInnit friendship, Secret Santa, Sleepy Bois Inc as Family, This is longer then it should of been, Tommy and Tubbo are not such good friends here, TommyInnit-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Villain Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-10 15:48:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,071</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28312395</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/OmegaVerz/pseuds/OmegaVerz</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The entire server grieved that day, for the child who had done nothing wrong, but everything wrong at the same time. </p><p>Meanwhile, said child has big plans for L’Manberg, a finale symphony with the help of his family.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>OV's MCYT Unconnected Stories [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2240193</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>37</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>425</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Path of an Anarchist Teenager</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fateweaver/gifts">Fateweaver</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is a Secret Santa prompt for Fateweaver on the Lvl30 discord server. Hope I didn't stray too far away from the prompt and happy holidays!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had only been three days since Tubbo had exiled him from New L’manberg and Tommy was already sick of it. It was cold living by the coast during winter, and the fact that he kept waking up in the middle of the ocean after falling asleep in the stupid tent wasn’t improving his situation. It was also very quiet, a stark comparison to L’Manberg and his old home in the Dream SMP Lands. The never-ending silence had forced him to come to terms with a good chunk of the violence that has occurred over the past few months, as Ghostbur was nowhere to be found due to the less than pleasant weather.</p><p>He could only mope around for so long before he grew bored, and Tommy had noticed that trying to gather resources only ended with explosives. With what he could save aside from making iron armor that would be confiscated, he hid in a chest underneath his tent. He couldn’t visit any of his old friends without the threat of a permanent demise. So what else could he do except ponder over the what-ifs? He had come to terms with the somber feeling of acceptance a few hours ago. Now all he had to do was wait for Dream’s unwanted visit.</p><p>Earlier, he had discovered an enderchest with Eret’s name written all over it in the mud shack right after he had discovered Chirp hidden in a chest closeby. He left it right where the traitor had placed it. If any of his old friends truly cared enough to visit him, they have had the past three days to do it. Aside from Ghostbur’s constant companionship when the weather was clear, and Ranboo’s letters and occasional checkups, he’s received nothing.</p><p>Well, fuck them too.</p><p>Tommy hated that his mind kept drifting to what Techno had called him before he spawned in the withers. Theseus? A hero, who like most, did not have such a happy ending, and just like Theseus, it was the country that screwed him over in the end. L’Manberg was a pushover, and Tuboo was even more so. Man, L’Manberg was fucked from the very start. At least Ranboo put in the effort to visit him. After all, Tommy was in exile now, just like Technoblade. Ranboo could die if Dream gets pissy about visitors, yet the enderman hybrid continued to put in the effort. It reminded Tommy of what he would have done if the roles were reversed.</p><p>
  <em>The light drizzle slowly changed into a more dominant downpour. Tubbo stood there, with an eerily expressionless glare that reminded him of Schlatt, as he stared Tommy down. “Look, when I was sworn in, I promised to do what was best for this nation,” Tubbo started, placing an item into Tommy’s open palm. “And right now Tommy, your presence here is not the best for this nation.” Tommy could only stare at Tubbo in shock. Mellohi felt a lot heavier in his hands than he remembered.</em>
</p><p>The memory leaves a sour taste in his mouth. What a friend he turned out to be.</p><p>“Oh, Tommy!” Tommy’s head shot up fast as he wearily looked outside his tent to see Dream, in all of his green-bastard glory. Tommy narrowed his eyes and positioned his body to stare out into the sea instead. He was not in the mood. “Come on Tommy, you know the drill by now,” Dream called, right outside his tent. “Fuck off,” Tommy snarled, before letting out a startled yell when he felt Dream grab the back of his tattered shirt and yank him to the ground. He landed on his back, the wind knocked out of his lungs.</p><p>“Put all of your items into the hole, now,” Dream demanded, his voice no longer playful or cheerful. Tommy gasped for breath as he eyed the masked man uneasily. He refused at first but complied when Dream unstrapped his axe. Tommy reluctantly threw his iron axe into the pit, as well as an iron chest plate and an assortment of blocks. He no longer bothered to carry a sword. Dream seemed more than pleased to shoot the piece of TNT that eradicated his entire inventory.</p><p>If all of his future human/hybrid interactions were going to go like that, Tommy would much rather be alone. With his task now completed, Dream proceeded to watch Tommy for the rest of the day, much to his ire. Instead of talking to Dream or doing something productive like he had tried to yesterday, Tommy decided to sit down by the beach and do nothing in hopes that Dream would get bored. In the end, Dream disappeared from his vision, but Tommy could still feel the man’s watchful gaze from the forest. If the dick was going to babysit him all day, Tommy was going to make it as boring as humanely possible for the bastard.</p><p>As the hours passed slowly, Tommy slowly accepted his fate. If no one aside from Dream and Ranboo were going to visit him, then he wasn’t going to stay here. In fact, he already had a half-baked plan regarding the lodestone he had watched Ghostbur place in Logstedshire last night before the weather turned. He reluctantly stood up and listened to the waves crash against the shore as he did a self-evaluation.</p><p>Tommy relied a lot on backup, something he realized when he fought Sapnap over Mars. He also let his emotions cloud his better judgment if his attempt at blackmailing Dream with Spirit was any indicator. If he was going to get his discs back, he needed gear and allies. But he couldn’t get gear without risking Dream destroying it. He really didn’t want to see what Dream would do if he discovered the chest beneath his tent that hid his valuables, albeit shitty valuables compared to what he once had back in the Dream SMP. He couldn’t afford to ask around for allies either. No one wanted to be exiled, and even if Ranboo was willing to help him out, Tommy didn’t want to put the newbie at such a high risk of Dream’s personal hit list.</p><p>Tommy could no longer afford to be careless. The wound on his chest from Dream’s axe when he tried to initially rebel against the destruction of his items only supported his thoughts. He would die if he stayed here. He would die if he refused to change. Maybe Techno was right, but he would never verbally admit to the piglin-hybrid that he was right about governments. He would much rather do a flip into a lava lake than admit anything to his older brother.</p><p>That left only one choice. He had to leave, and he had to do it soon. Dream had been hanging around a lot longer for every new day, and Tommy feared that the man may settle down close by to keep tabs on him 24/7. If he was going to do anything, he had to do it tonight. With a new resolve, Tommy entered Logstedshire and left with an iron pickaxe. He had to collect iron and redstone before he left to make a few key items. He could feel Dream’s eyes on him as he descended into the mine, but when he popped his head out hours later, the man was gone.</p><p>The sun was setting, and Dream had left. Relieved, Tommy messaged Ranboo. “Ranboo, come to Logstedshire.” Tommy then entered the small home and threw the iron ore into the furnace as well as a few pieces of cobblestone. As he began crafting the iron and redstone into a compass, Tommy felt his communicator beep. “From Ranboo: OMW.” Tommy let out a sigh of relief as he crafted a stonecutter and began to chisel the stone. All he was missing now was a netherite ingot. Reluctantly, Tommy left Logstedshire with a newly crafted iron sword and entered the mud shack he had stayed in for his first night.</p><p>The gifted enderchest still sat where Eret placed it. The old Tommy would have never accepted “pity shit”, but Tommy was desperate and determined to change. He opened the enderchest and traded the four netherite scraps in exchange for Chirp. If all else failed, Tommy wasn’t letting Dream have anything he cherished. “Tommy?” Tommy heard Ranboo call out in the darkness. “Over here!” Tommy yelled back as he left the mud shack with the last pieces of his plan. Tommy could see Ranboo’s fluorescent eyes land on his shadowy form. The moon was rising above the clouds and the mobs crawled around the campsite. He had to hurry.</p><p>“Let’s head to Logstedshire,” Tommy instructed as he led Ranboo into the warm house just as it started to drizzle. The enderman hybrid let out a warble reply, something akin to what an actual enderman sounded like. Tommy let out a stressed chuckle as he closed the door just as it started to pour. “Thanks for coming Ranboo, how have you been today?”</p><p>“Uh, today was fine. I was helping Lazar from dying in a lava lake earlier,” Ranboo replied cheerfully. Tommy blinked, he did not even want to know. Ranboo glanced down to the stone cutter curiously. “And what have you been doing? Renovations?” Tommy laughed at the question before grabbing a gold ingot from one of the barrels. “Hardly,” Tommy hesitated before turning to Ranboo with a more serious expression.</p><p>“Can I trust you Ranboo?” Ranboo hesitated, slightly confused but sure of his answer. “Yes, I think you can.” Tommy let out a deep sigh at the confirmation as he took the newly crafted netherite ingot and surrounded it with chiseled stone. “Can you place down an anvil?” Tommy asked as he studied the newly crafted lodestone in his hand. He took out one of the compasses and watched as it flickered with enchantments due to being linked with the lodestone. Ranboo meanwhile had placed down an enderchest and placed down his anvil. He watched with curiosity as Tommy renamed two enchanted compasses before handing both of them to him. One was labeled, To Tommy, and the other, Home.</p><p>“I’m leaving Ranboo,” Tommy started as he waved the lodestone back and forth. The compass needle that was labeled, To Tommy, followed his movements. “The compass labeled To Tommy will always point to me,” Tommy explained, placing the lodestone on his belt. “The compass labeled Home points to another lodestone here in Logstedshire. Keep both compasses in your enderchest at all times. If Dream or another ever figures out that you have these in your possession, throw them off with the Home compass. If they continue to harass you, destroy the second one,” Tommy instructed, watching Ranboo’s expression for any sign of betrayal.</p><p>If anything, Ranboo just looked sad. “You’re leaving?” He asked, looking at both compasses sadly before placing them and his anvil back into his enderchest. “I have to Ranboo,” Tommy told the ender-hybrid, as he gazed outside into the stormy night. “I’ll die here if I stay any longer, both physically and mentally.” Ranboo went silent at his words. “I’m-” Tommy started before hesitating, “I’m trusting you Ranboo.” Ranboo stared at Tommy with mixed emotions that the teen was hesitant to discern.</p><p>“I’ll visit every other week if I can,” Ranboo promised with a hint of determination. Tommy smiled sadly. “You’re the only one who knows I’m leaving. I’m hoping that my next stunt will throw Dream off of my trail long enough to get a permanent base started.” Ranboo hummed to himself thoughtfully before handing Tommy his netherite pickaxe. “You’ll need a good tool to get yourself started,” Ranboo claimed after observing Tommy’s confused expression. Tommy was almost tempted to reject the gift, but he caught himself. A netherite pickaxe would be better than stone.</p><p>“Thanks, Ranboo,” Tommy said, with a soft genuine smile, tucking the pickaxe into his inventory. A brown leather journal that Ghostbur had given him a few days ago caught his eye and he hesitantly handed it to Ranboo. Seeing his confusion, Tommy decided to clarify. “Ghostbur made it for me, but I never write in journals. Ghostbur always seems happier when he can read memories in journals that he can easily forget. I know you kind of struggle with memory loss so I figure this might be of more use to you than me.” For a moment, Tommy fearfully wondered if he may have messed up. But then Ranboo embraced him into a hug and all of his worries melted away.</p><p>For a moment, he let himself forget about Tubbo.</p><p>
  <strong>/ / / / / / / / / /</strong>
</p><p>With Ranboo gone with promises to visit when Dream calmed down, Tommy could now focus on the main part of his plan. He had to stage his suicide. As morbid as it sounded, it was the only realistic plan Tommy could come with on such short notice to keep Dream off of his trail. Beforehand, Tommy had scrounged through the barrels in Logstedshire and grabbed as much supplies as he could carry. He then used the remainder of his iron to craft a shield and an iron chest piece and helmet before opening the gifted enderchest and taking out his emerald blocks and a copy of Blocks. Tommy was hoping that Dream wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between Chirp and Blocks.</p><p>Before he closed the enderchest, Tommy reluctantly took out some of his pictures. After all, he had to make this believable. The first two photos were of L’Manberg citizens, right after they won their independence, and then an updated photo of the entire country together. Tommy felt his gaze linger on Wilbur’s calm smile before he turned his attention to the others. The third photo was a family photo of the Sleepy Bois... Before his family left him behind. The last one was of him and Tubbo, with Spunz buzzing around in the background. Tommy had forgotten, that at one point in his life here in the Dream SMP, there were no wars. He could barely recognize the cocky smile of the blonde-haired, blue-eyed child smiling at the camera as his own.</p><p>Tommy felt a lone tear fall down his cheek before he wiped his eyes. They choose their path a long time ago, just like he was now. And sure, maybe he did push people away and piss them off far more often than he probably should of, but family was supposed to stick together. Tommy raised his shield to block an arrow as a zombie scratched his iron chest plate uselessly. After disposing of the mobs, Tommy walked over to the beach and began to tower up with the wood and cobble he had grabbed from the barrels. As he climbed higher and higher, the rain seemed to pummel him harder till the drops felt like icy needles attacking his bare arms.</p><p>But that all changed when he built past the cloud limit. It was peaceful up here, above the clouds. He looked to the sky and took a deep breath. If he squinted hard enough, he could almost see Clara floating through space right next to the moon. For a split second, he considered what it would feel like, drifting through endless space like Clara, but he caught himself. It was not his time to die just yet. With a shuddery sigh, Tommy jumped, off, soaring past the clouds and into the ocean and rain below. Just before he hit the water, Tommy entered a dive position as he crashed smoothly beneath the waves and swam to shore.</p><p>He shakily walked over to the tall tower and began to empty his inventory till all he had left were Ranboo’s pickaxe, his shield, and a torch. He hesitated slightly before he undid his bandanna and dropped the green fabric onto the floor to join the pile. The lodestone attached to his hip seemed to weigh him down as he struggled to leave Logstedshire, to leave the pictures of his life exposed in the sand. But he trudged on. Techno was always better at him with directions and reading coordinates than he ever was. So instead, he went left, in the opposite direction of the Dream SMP Lands, of L’Manberg, and of the people that he once called his friends.</p><p>
  <strong>/ / / / / / / / / /</strong>
</p><p>A few hours past sunrise, Dream stumbled upon the tower of mismatched blocks, as well as the inventory spewed all over right underneath it.</p><p>He took his rage out on the mooshroom cow before he blew up Logstedshire and tore down the tent. He discovered a chest beneath the tent filled with some diamonds and lumpy iron ore. He blew that up too.</p><p>When he cooled down he returned to the crime scene and picked up the cracked music disc he recognized as Blocks before picking up the pictures and the green bandanna on the ground.</p><p>Dream called a server meeting in L’Manberg. When he noticed that everyone was present he approached Philza and handed him the pictures and bandanna. “He jumped,” he told the father emotionlessly.</p><p>Everyone reacted differently to the news.</p><p>Philza collapsed to his knees with a hand over his mouth in shock and grief. He had lost two sons in the span of a few weeks.</p><p>Techno looked expressionless, but behind his mask, the man was grieving. He stood by Phil’s side and glared at Dream in silent rage.</p><p>Tubbo was inconsolable. The young president ran out of the country and straight to the bench Tommy had built where he cried for hours.</p><p>Fundy’s ears lay flat against his head as he let out a whimper filled with grief. Niki burst into tears as Fundy held her close as he tried to keep his own tears at bay.</p><p>Ranboo let out a grieving shriek that sounded like a mix of a human scream and an angry enderman cry before he teleported away.</p><p>Jack stormed out of L’Manberg, back to his land where he cooped himself in his home. Purpled silently cried as Ponk held him close, his own eyes filled with grief.</p><p>Sam burst into tears. Badboyhalo cried into Skeppy’s chest, as the diamond-block hybrid tried to console his friend and keep the shakiness out of his voice. Ant’s tail swished anxiously.</p><p>Ghostbur was nowhere to be seen. But far away on a distant shore, Ghostbur explored the ruins of Logstedshire as he desperately wondered where he went wrong.</p><p>Eret took off his sunglasses and wiped his tears away. Quackity shamelessly cried as George tried to comfort him while the Brit internally juggled his feelings. Sapnap gritted his teeth and clenched his fists angrily. He only had himself to blame for this one.</p><p>Sapnap eyed Dream judgementally. Dream’s posture spoke nothing of grief. If anything, he looked disappointed. Sapnap’s temper flared but a hand on his shoulder from George and a teary shake of a head from Quackity kept him from acting on it.</p><p>Punz shook his head sadly and left L’Manberg to think. Other neutral players could only lower their heads in sadness, as they pitifully watched the others grieve.</p><p>You never know what you were missing until it's gone.</p><p>Away from the madness and prying eyes, Ranboo secretly pulled out Tommy’s compass and smiled in relief when he watched the needle move slightly north-east.</p><p>The entire server grieved that day, for the child who had done nothing wrong, but everything wrong at the same time.</p><p>
  <strong>/ / / / / / / / / /</strong>
</p><p>Tommy was pretty sure he almost died of hypothermia that night. His initial thoughts when he entered the snowy tundra were, “Dream can’t track me if it's snowing.” That might be true, but he forgot to take into account that he was wearing practically rags as he trudged through the snow. He was thankful that a kind villager from a nearby village let him in for the night before he froze to death. She gave him food, let him take a shower, and gave him a coat to keep him warm. When the sun rose, Tommy made sure to pay her an emerald block for her kindness before he asked her for directions to a tailor.</p><p>He left the tailor thirty-six emeralds less, but with new and winter-appropriate clothing. He now wore a white sweater with insulated dark brown pants and dark red boots. He now had leather gloves to protect his hands as well as a red scarf to cover his neck and mouth to protect his face from the elements. He also grabbed a leather belt for his pants as well as a leather baldric belt that could hold potions or other supplies on his chest for easy access. He clipped the lodestone to his belt and continued to explore the village.</p><p>With the remaining twenty-eight blocks of emeralds, Tommy was easily able to purchase necessities from the snowy village. A bow and a stack of arrows from a fletcher, a bed from a shepherd, an efficiency two iron axe from a toolsmith, an iron sword from a weaponsmith, a few loaves of bread from a farmer, and a stack of ender pearls and some glowstone from a cleric. After buying the village children some cookies from the bakery, a nearby cartographer rewarded him for his kindness with a map that Tommy recognized as an unexplored woodland mansion.</p><p>With his trading done and half the day remaining, he left the village feeling like a changed man. With the remaining daylight, he cut down spruce trees, collected saplings, and covered the stumps with snow to throw Dream off of his trail. As the sun set below the horizon, he traveled through the snowy taiga forest before he stumbled upon a massive spruce tree. It was the tallest tree in the forest and the perfect landmark for his home. The old Tommy would have probably built some sort of cobblestone tower and an ugly house above ground to signify that the land was his. Instead, Tommy dug beneath the tree and created a big square space that was the start of his underground bunker.</p><p>Over the next few months, the only thing on Tommy’s agenda was to dig out stone and expand his bunker. He kept the rooms simple, with stone walls and ceilings and a mismatched floor of oak and spruce. He first started mining a room big enough to house his chests as well as a crafting table and plenty of furnaces for warmth. He didn’t bother making a bedroom, as the heat was primarily the warmest in this room and all of his items were in his giant chest room. He simply added a second bed on the other side of the room in case Ranboo wanted to stay the night or if he had a guest. He then moved on to creating other rooms</p><p>Using the glowstone he purchased from the village, he placed the artificial light to help his crops grow. Wheat and carrots were grown (he vehemently refused to grow potatoes) as well as mushrooms for their more magical purpose. He imported a beehive from the nearby plains biome to help increase his crop growth (although seeing the bees always reminded him of Tubbo so it wasn’t that great of an investment).</p><p>He cultivated a small tree farm that eventually yielded stacks of oak and spruce logs daily that he easily converted to sticks and charcoal. It was so successful that the villagers had begun rejecting stick trades. With nothing better to do for a good majority of his time in hiding, he invested it into mining and creating strip mines, all of which were mined away from the lands of the Dream SMP.</p><p>It was far from smooth sailing, and he had a few early problems he had to tackle before he could grow comfortable. Because he was underground, he couldn’t make a campfire without risking death by smoke inhalation, but keeping all of the furnaces running was hard. He had to collect wood, smelt it into charcoal, and repeat the process for an almost infinite supply of fuel and heat. But the work was tedious, and he found himself struggling to keep up with the demand. When he eventually discovered the use of lava buckets as fuel, the heating issue no longer became a problem.</p><p>As he grew more comfortable, he started venturing out and mapped out the taiga biome he now lived in. On one such incursion through the unmapped territory, he found a very cold green parrot huddled in the snow that he rescued. He named him Tony. The little bird would often perch himself onto his shoulder and often led him to wild game or other trinkets whenever he brought him outside. Tony often chirped and whistled whenever Tommy would inevitably start talking out loud, which helped ease the pains of loneliness.</p><p>But his favorite times to work were when Ranboo visited as he often worked on the more tedious projects with the enderman-hybrid around to help out. The first time was an accident. Tommy had entered the village nether portal to link a hidden portal in his base and he was trying to link it underneath the netherack, out of sight of anyone. Tommy struggled greatly with coordinates and maps so he happily dumped the work onto the unsuspecting ender.</p><p>The second time Ranboo stopped by, Tommy had the man help him move chests into his secondary storage. Ranboo wasn’t exactly pleased with the work until Tommy started playing Wait in a jukebox and watched Tony try to sing along and impersonate the tune. Needless to say, the teens got little work done that visit.</p><p>The third and most recent visit from Ranboo came with news. Ranboo sat on the guest bed and let his sword clatter to the ground. “Tubbo has been getting pretty buddy, buddy with Dream and King Eret,” Ranboo stated, sounding exhausted. “Fundy and Niki have disappeared multiple times in the past month to build a new secret city. Quackity has distanced himself from the country and I’m pretty sure he started a rebellion with George, Sapnap, and Karl call El Rapids against King Eret. Philza keeps to himself and I’m worried he’s gonna get himself into trouble with Tubbo with his affiliations with Techno,” Ranboo confessed as he tugged at the cuffs of his suit.</p><p>Tommy hummed softly as he watched Tony preen on his perch. “L’Manberg is falling apart?” He pressed, earning a stressed groan from Ranboo. “Yeah, and the work is falling onto me and Tubbo. I don’t know what to do,” he admitted. Tommy didn’t know what to say to that and instead gifted Ranboo the hit novel “How To Sex 3” to cheer him up.</p><p>Despite the troubling news, Tommy was content. For once in his life here on the Dream SMP, time was no longer an issue. He created a prime path that led to his hidden nether portal, dyed the trapdoors leading to his base white to blend in with the snow, and had even built an obsidian vault that laid beneath his nether portal that hid is valuables and an extra enderchest. He even found time to create backup enchanted netherite gear in case of a worst-case scenario.</p><p>He established a positive relationship with the nearby village. In return for his protection against Illager squadrons, they gave him discounted trades. The cleric of the town took a special interest in him and had taught him to brew certain potions more effectively. Tommy often found himself scouring through the library in search of special enchanted books to max out his gear even more. The common townsfolk seemed to worship his feet (which kind of made him uncomfortable) due to his swordsmanship and bravery.</p><p>Tommy was lonely, yes, but he was content with his exiled life. He had come to terms with his exile and planned to never interact with anyone in the Dream SMP for the rest of his life. But all of that soon came to an end, two and a half months into his exile from Logstedshire.</p><p>It was a normal sunny day. Tony was flying above his head, circling the small perimeter for wild cows as Tommy needed leather for a few item frames. When Tony began to fly frantically in circles a few meters ahead of him, Tommy raised his arm and the parrot flew down and landed on his arm.</p><p>Right ahead of him in a snowy clearing stood a small herd of cows. Tommy quietly knocked an arrow into his enchanted bow as he aimed for a younger scrawny cow. But before he could release his shot, a netherite axe flew straight out of the adjacent forest and onto the neck of one of the other cows. Tommy released his arrow in surprise, his aim completely off as the remaining cow herd ran away.</p><p>Unfortunately, the owner of the axe had seen the arrow fly and Tommy had no choice but to up and run away. He was not mentally prepared to deal with a Dream SMP member, and Ranboo knew better than to hunt in these woods without him. This was an unknown player. An enemy.</p><p>
  <strong>/ / / / / / / / / /</strong>
</p><p>On the other side of the clearing, Techno stood still in shock. He was pretty sure he had seen a ghost, as there was only one person in this world who had those sky blue eyes and wheat-blonde hair. “Who was that?” Philza asked curiously. The winged man had only seen a glimpse of red and gold before the mystery player had disappeared beyond the treeline.</p><p>Instead of answering, Techno grabbed Phil’s wrist and took off after the player. “Techno?” Phil asked confused as he raced to keep up with Techno. The mystery player clearly knew the woods better than either of them, however, Techno and Philza were very capable in the snow and caught up with the player. Close enough for Philza to understand Techno’s urgency.</p><p>“Tommy?”</p><p>Tommy froze in his tracks, his red scarf billowed behind him as the fabric loosened and fell off of his face. The young teen honestly did not know what to do, as he stared down the remaining family he had grown estranged from. “Phil,” Tommy stated in slight disbelief. Out of everyone who could have found him, it was Phil and fucking Technoblade.</p><p>“Tommy,” Phil repeated, looking close to tears as he took in his son's appearance. Tommy was not grey like Ghostbur, Tommy was alive. The son he had grieved for was alive. Techno did not share the same mental sentiment as Phil. “You’re alive? You’re alive and you didn’t tell anyone?!” Techno demanded, causing Tommy’s eyes to widen before they hardened.</p><p>“I never took you as someone who cared Blade,” Tommy growled, resting his hand on the pommel of his sword. “Of course I care! Why the hell wouldn’t you think I cared?” Techno snapped back, earning an ugly snarl from Tommy. “Maybe it's because the only time you visited me was to mock me! Maybe it was because Philza never showed up at all! Maybe it’s because I waited three days for someone to come and visit me but no one did aside from Ranboo who risked his life to pass me notes, Ghostbur who disappeared at the slightest hint of rain, and Dream who emotionally tortured me!” Tommy exploded, causing Techno to flinch and Philza to recoil in horror.</p><p>Tommy let out a little huff as he tried to reign in his temper. Before he could do anything drastic, Tony flew down from a nearby branch and landed on his head in an attempt to calm the boy down. Tommy let out a big sigh before he chuckled at the little bird's attempt at comfort. Tony let out a worried chirp before perching himself onto Tommy’s shoulder.</p><p>“This is Tony. If you hurt him, I will nuke your entire base,” Tommy threatened, before trudging back to his bunker. He didn’t bother fighting Techno and Philza from following him back to his base. At the end of the day, he still had two emergency exits he could use if their visit grew sour.</p><p>/ / / / / / / / / /</p><p>Unfortunately (in Tommy’s opinion), Techno and Philza visited him often. At first, Tommy gave them a physical cold shoulder. He let them wander around his home and listened half-heartedly to Philza’s praise on the livability of the base as well as Techno’s comments on his farm. (Tommy ignored the warm feeling of pride in his chest when he watched Techno explore his wheat and carrot farm with interest.)</p><p>His cold shoulder broke when Ranboo had chosen to visit at that exact moment and lighten up the atmosphere with his cheerful optimism and small jokes that even garnered laughs out of Techno. Tommy jokingly punched the ender in the shoulder for lightening the mood, causing Ranboo to jokingly scowl back. It didn’t help his situation at all when Ghostbur climbed down to the ladder and offered everyone his blue. How the ever-living fuck he found his base, Tommy had no clue. Ranboo had to physically pick Tommy up to keep him from banging his head against the stone wall to vent his frustration at their trespassing, something that visibly worried Philza and Techno a lot.</p><p>Philza made it very clear at the start of his visits that he cared, something that Tommy took with a grain of salt every time the man spoke to him. Tommy ignored Philza at first. Every time the avian attempted to start a conversation, Tommy shot him down through insults or cold shoulders. But Philza has endless patience, something Tommy still tends to struggle with, and the hostile, one-sided conversations turned to hostile conversations to just conversations.</p><p>As Philza broke down his walls, Tommy found himself rambling a lot more than he usually would. He would talk about his day, the color of the weird spruce tree on the northside of the forest, the villager's tendency to give him discounts for killing Illager patrols, the blinding glow of enchantments on his netherite armor, and Philza would have a response to all of his weird tangents. Tommy had forgotten what it was like to have someone listen to him and if he was being honest, it was nice.</p><p>Techno’s visits were just spars. Words were rarely spoken. They beat each other up and then Techno usually left. At first, Tommy was very very pissed off and practically threw himself at the piglin hybrid. Out of spite, Tommy never offered Techno any healing items. But Techno never asked for them, nor did he bring his own. He usually brushed off his bruises and stared Tommy down till the teen caught his breath to go again. That at first had sent Tommy into a frenzy, but he grew tired.</p><p>“The thing about this world Tommy is that the only universal language, is violence,” Techno had once said to him. Tommy could no longer tell him he was wrong. As they sparred for weeks on end, Tommy lost his initial anger. His attacks grew less forceful and more coordinated. Whenever Tommy stumbled to the ground, Techno was there to offer him a hand. There was a comfortable peace between the two, for now anyway. Forgiveness was not on the table, but his initial anger over past events had lost its steam.</p><p>Ghostbur was the complete opposite of Philza. Instead of Tommy rambling and Philza listening, Wilbur would ramble and Tommy would have to come up with responses to the more stranger tangents Ghostbur would go on. He showed up sporadically, much to Tommy’s slight irritation. One time, Tommy, was doing his rounds in the village when Ghostbur suddenly appeared behind him, scaring the shit out of the farmer he was trading with. Unlike Philza and Techno, Tommy held no anger towards Ghostbur. Just a resenting bitterness at the thought that a part of Wilbur was somehow related to this much more innocent phantom.</p><p>The cheerful ghost would often write in a journal, claiming that he didn’t want to forget the interactions he had throughout his visits. Ghostbur did not let him write in the journals because the one time he did, he drew a dick in the margins. Although in Tommy’s opinion, it was really funny. Philza seemed to think so too, as when he heard the story from Ghostbur, he bust out laughing. Tommy often ignored Wilbur’s offers of blue, although he occasionally took the blue substance if he thought it would cheer up the ghost.</p><p>Tommy tolerated their visits, and dare he say it, started to look forward to them. He had missed Philza’s fatherly presence, Techno’s protective atmosphere, and Wil- Ghostburs mentorship. He missed it a lot. He missed them a lot, and if he leaned into Philza’s hug, handed Techno a health pot after their spar out of good faith, and gifted ghostbur a journal to replace his old one, the trio said nothing of it.</p><p>
  <strong>/ / / / / / / / / /</strong>
</p><p>The group of voices had caught Tommy off guard. They were so foreign yet so familiar, that Tommy had started to panic slightly. That was until he heard Ranboo raise his voice. “I really do not think this is a good idea.” The clear warning Ranboo sent his way as the group moved away sprung Tommy into action.</p><p>The teen grabbed his armor and tools as well as an arsenal of potions, pearls, and golden apples. Tommy hid his armor and tools in his inventory and swung an invis pot as he carefully followed the group from a distance. Tommy was too far away to hear any notable conversation, but he did get tidbits. Something about Technoblade? With renewed vigor, Tommy stalked the group until they reached a cabin in the open Tundra.</p><p>Tommy watched as Techno exited the cabin, decked out in full netherite armor and very powerful potion effects. “What do you want?” Techno demanded. The piglin’s hands twitched with anticipation as he eyed the Butcher Army with distaste. “I am a changed man.”</p><p>Tommy snorted at that.</p><p>“You are under arrest Technoblade,” a butcher said, who Tommy recognized as Quackity. That's when it clicked for him; L'Manberg was attacking Technoblade. Fundy pinned his ears back angrily and Tubbo gripped his axe in what Tommy recognized as fear and unease. Seeing them again made his gut churn and he mentally cheered for a swift Techno victory.</p><p>“For what? Blowing up Manberg? You are a new country and I am no longer an anarchist. I am striving for peace. But I will defend myself,” Techno warned as the Butcher Army refused to back down. “Come quietly and you won’t get hurt,” Quackity threatened while Ranboo attempted to defuse the situation. “Let us talk about this guys.”</p><p>Tommy watched as Ranboo’s attempts at mediating failed. He watched Techno’s blood lust take over. He watched as Ranboo danced out of the swinging distance of the axe blade as he moved defensively. He watched as Fundy and Tubbo were knocked down to the ground. But before Techno could deliver a killing blow on Fundy, Quackity shattered the frantic atmosphere.</p><p>“Don’t fucking move or Carl will get it,” Quackity threatened, holding his sword against the loyal steed's neck. Tommy froze in shock, as did Techno, who moved off of Fundy immediately. Tommy watched as Techno reluctantly threw his armor and weapons to the ground. He followed the group as they rowed in boats back to L’Manberg, all the while threatening Techno into submission.</p><p>For the first time in almost four months, Tommy entered SMP Lands, trailing after his captured <strike>older brother</strike> friend.</p><p>
  <strong>/ / / / / / / / / /</strong>
</p><p>Tommy watched helplessly as Techno was forced into an execution chamber. L’Manberg citizens were wearing armor and carrying weapons. Tubbo looked eerily stoic as he told Technoblade bluntly that he was going to die.</p><p>The country he had founded with Wilbur, the one he died for and sacrificed so much for, was gone.</p><p>Tommy climbed on top of the water tower to get a better vantage point of the situation. In the middle of L’Manberg, stood a stage for Techno's execution. The Butcher Army looked very excited, aside from Ranboo who Tommy could tell was panicking. Outside of the L’Manberg borders, Tommy spotted Punz clutching pieces of TNT. Dream was nowhere to be seen, but Tommy wasn’t stupid enough to believe the man wouldn’t show up to something this big. He was probably lurking with an invis potion of his own.</p><p>Carl was trapped in a fence, outside of L’Manberg borders. Quackity had left him undefended, and open to a small idea that had begun to take shape. Tommy had about a minute of invisibility left, and Techno looked like he had less than that before the anvil would fall. Just as Punz wandered into the town center with more devious purposes, Tommy pearled to Carl.</p><p>The stallion whined as Tommy equipped his netherite gear so the horse could see him. “Easy boy,” Tommy told the stallion, who calmed down after recognizing Tommy’s voice. From the corner of his eye, he watched Punz place TNT down, much to the distress of the L’Manberg citizens. Tommy cut the lead tying Carl down before equipping his pickaxe.</p><p>“Please do not let Carl die,” Tommy muttered a small prayer as he mounted the steed and spurred him over the fence. Carl broke into a gallop as he jumped onto a wooden platform supporting the city the same second his invis wore out. Tommy covered his mouth with his scarf as he barreled through the town center, causing Quackity and Fundy to jump out of his way.</p><p>Tommy gripped his netherite pickaxe, the same one Ranboo had gifted him and chucked it at the iron bars. The bar shattered, and Techno lept through the one block exit right before Tubbo pressed the lever that dropped the anvil. Tommy could hear Phil’s ecstatic cheers and the confused cries of the L’Manberg citizens as he dismounted Carl and pushed Techno towards the steed.</p><p>“Go go go!” Tommy yelled, as Techno mounted the steed and rode towards Phil’s house. A few seconds earlier, Philza had placed a magma block onto the ground and broke the ankle cuff that kept him trapped before leaping off his balcony and onto the back of Carl. Tubbo tried to shoot Phil, but Tommy swung his sword onto the unsuspecting president, successfully distracting him. The two anarchists rode away from the country as the Butcher Army surrounded Tommy.</p><p>Admittedly, Tommy did not think this far ahead and equipped his shield. He eyed the surrounding members warily as he raised his shield and sword, keeping a mental note of Punz and Dream’s rapidly approaching presence behind him.</p><p>“Who the hell do you think you are?!” Quackity practically screamed at him before paling when Tommy pointed his sword towards his throat. Before anything could escalate, Ranboo intervened and placed himself in between the two men. “Please gentleman, there is no need to fight,” Ranboo said, facing Quackity with a pleading expression. But Quackity was not interested.</p><p>“Like hell Ranboo! He ruined our one chance to kill Technoblade! Our one chance!” Quackity spat as Ranboo physically pushed him away from Tommy. Tubbo walked over to the makeshift guillotine and picked up the pickaxe, examining its shape and its name with scrutiny. “That’s enough Quackity,” Tubbo spoke diplomatically as he straightened his tie before turning his attention to Dream. “And just what are you two doing here?” He demanded to Punz and Dream.</p><p>With Ranboo covering his back, Tommy turned to face Dream and Punz. Tommy scowled at Dream, although his scarf hid it from sight. “Who are you?” Dream demanded angrily before his tone shifted to something Tommy couldn’t describe. “Tommy?” Dream asked in practical disbelief. Punz almost dropped his shield and Tommy could hear the surprised murmurs from the crowd of L’Manberg citizens.</p><p>Tommy sighed and took off his helmet, revealing his short blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. Punz looked almost overjoyed to see him alive and smiled excitedly at the kid. Tommy returned the friendly gesture before focusing on the masked menace. Dream on the other hand… well Dream’s body language told Tommy his opinion.</p><p>“Fuck off Dream,” Tommy growled as he re-equipped his netherite helmet and turned to Tubbo. “You tried to kill my brother. For that, you have waged war,” Tommy declared before throwing his ender pearl towards the docks, ignoring the surprised cries from the people surrounding him.</p><p>Tommy landed in the water. He swam to one of the abandoned boats and set sail to Techno’s base. He unknowingly left behind unprecedented chaos. Dream had tried to pearl after him, however, Punz had stopped him with a shake of his head and an iron grip. Tubbo stared at the spot where Tommy had previously stood in shock, but when Ranboo tried to step away, Tubbo snapped back into action. “Ranboo! Weapons on the ground, now!” He demanded.</p><p>Fundy and Quackity pointed their axes toward Ranboo, who had dropped his axe and raised his hands into the air. Punz and Dream had pearled off towards Eret’s castle, most likely to spread the news of Tommy. However, that wasn’t Tubbo’s concern. The young president wiped his eyes before resting his glare onto the nervous ones of Ranboo. “Ranboo, with evidence and witness accounts of treason against the state, you are to be put under house arrest until further notice.”</p><p>
  <strong>/ / / / / / / / / /</strong>
</p><p>To be honest, the declaration of war was an impulsive decision that Tommy had no regrets making. How dare L’Manberg bother Technoblade after months of peace. It made no sense to the teen, and it eerily reminded him of the war of Independence with Dream; the peaceful protest against his reign was met with bloodshed and violence.</p><p>Tommy was half tempted to turn the boat around to check on Ranboo, who he had left cornered between L’Manberg and Dream. The last thing he saw of the enderman hybrid was his submission to Tubbo as his old comrades held axes over his neck to keep him from running. Unfortunately, there was a good chance Dream was still lurking around the country, and Tommy was in no hurry to face the masked menace by himself.</p><p>Tommy was hoping that Tubbo would give Ranboo a platform to defend himself on, but after witnessing the Technoblade execution, he wasn’t holding his breath. He could only hope for time.</p><p>By the time he reached the icy tundra shore, the sun was rising on a new day. In the far distance, he spotted Techno and Philza running towards the Dream SMP. Phil was decked out in enchanted Netherite gear with a very powerful bow in his visible arsenal. Techno’s gear was more pitiful, with enchanted diamond gear and a netherite pickaxe. Tommy had no doubt the Techno could still kill a majority of L’Manberg citizens despite the setback, even without Phil’s help, but he had to stop both of them before they got themselves killed.</p><p>With a quick flick of his wrist, Tommy switched to his ender pearls and teleported right in front of the calvary. Phil arched his wings threateningly and pulled back his bow. Techno raised his pickaxe, his tusks bared at Tommy in challenge as he let out a warning snarl. Tommy warily raised his shield defensively, prepared to run.</p><p>For a moment, no one moved. Then, Philza dropped his bow in the snow and embraced Tommy in a warm hug. “Thank god you are alright,” Philza whispered as he hugged his son. Tommy dropped his shield and recuperated the hug. “Dad I-” Tommy caught himself off as he started to cry.</p><p>It went by so fast. When Tommy had crashed the execution, he was running on pure adrenaline. It wasn’t until he was halfway across the ocean did the day's events finally catch up with his mind. Philza’s mortified expression to see Techno in a cage, unable to do anything due to the ankle monitor on his ankle. Techno’s defeated posture, as he stared straight up at the anvil that could have killed him. Ranboo’s fearful expression, as Quackity pressed his axe a little to close his neck.</p><p>He was scared. He was so fucking scared. So he cried.</p><p>Tommy felt a rough hand ruffle his hair. “You did good kid,” Techno murmured with an uncharacteristically soft tone. Philza let him go and Tommy stepped back as he wiped his tears away. “We have to go back for Ranboo,” Tommy growled as he stared across the ocean he just crossed.</p><p>“And we will,” Philza agreed, clamping his hand onto Tommy’s shoulder. “But not right now. They’re too alert.” Before Tommy could disagree, Techno added his two-cents. “Not to mention Dream is in the area,” Techno huffed, hefting his pickaxe over his shoulder. “We need to plan out a heist. Those government lovers have my gear as well.” Tommy frowned but he knew they were right. There was no way they could rescue a fugitive with the country and neighboring lands on such high alert.</p><p>Philza picked up his bow and gestured back toward Techno’s cabin. “Come on Tommy, let's go home,” Philza gently said as he walked away. Tommy froze before he hesitantly followed him, with Techno right behind him, protecting their rear.</p><p>On their way back to Techno’s base, they stumbled upon Ghostbur. The ghost cheerfully waved at the approaching group. “Hi, Tommy and friends!” The Ghost greeted happily. Tommy couldn’t help but notice that Ghostbur was holding a lead connected to a blue-dyed sheep. On closer inspection, Tommy could see that the animal was named Friend.</p><p>“Hey Ghostbur, who’s the sheep?” Tommy asked curiously. Ghostbur physically beamed before hugging the fluffy animal. “This is Friend, I love him so much,” Ghostbur replied as he began to pet the sheep. Philza slowly facepalmed, letting out quiet chuckles as Techno shook his head in amusement. Tommy let out a breathy wheeze that startled the trio, who hadn’t heard him properly laugh in months.</p><p>Ghostbur grinned and continued to pet Friend. “Why do you guys look so sad?” The ghost asked curiously, dampening the mood instantly. Philza scowled. “Tubbo had Techno executed but he failed and we all escaped,” Philza answered as he scanned the horizon for any other SMP members. Ghostbur frowned. “I don’t think I like Tubbo as a president,” Ghostbur muttered as he glanced sadly at Friend.</p><p>“He almost killed Tommy,” Techno commented, earning an uncharacteristically dark look from the ghost. “That’s not cool, what are we going to do about it?” The ghost's question caught all three of them off guard. “What do you mean?” Phil asked, sounding confused. “Are we going to retaliate? They hurt Techno and Tommy, and they’ve probably hurt you too,” Ghostbur pointed out, earning a dark chuckle from Techno.</p><p>“They still have my stuff-” “And Ranboo is arrested,” Tommy added, interrupting whatever spiel Techno was about to go off on. “The country killed Wilbur,” Phil whispered, earning a sad look from Ghostbur. A comfortable silence settled upon the group, right before Tommy broke it.</p><p>“Is this a good time to tell you all I personally waged war against L’Manberg?” Tommy asked nervously, earning a proud look from Technoblade and an amused chuckle from Phil.</p><p>
  <strong>/ / / / / / / / / /</strong>
</p><p>“Where the hell are you taking me Blade?” Tommy questioned as Techno led him to one of the icy mountains surrounding his base. Philza was making dinner back at Techno’s cabin and Ghostbur had run off with Friend to fetch Tony as well as Tommy’s war chest back in his bunker.</p><p>Technoblade brushed off a patch of snow, revealing a button hidden underneath. Tommy tentatively reached out to press it, doing so after seeing the encouraging nod from Techno. The wall in front of them shuttered as it lowered to the ground, revealing dozens of wither skulls and mounds of soul sand, ready for use.</p><p>Tommy grinned in excitement as he eyed the weapons of war. L’Manberg would pay for their oversight, and Dream will fall this time. The reign of tyranny in the Dream SMP is over. Techno let out a dark chuckle as he watched his younger brother's eyes light up in excitement.</p><p>“Welcome home Theseus.”</p><p>
  <strong>/ / / / / / / / / /</strong>
</p><p>Far far away, trapped in his own home, Ranboo sat on his bed. The ankle monitor that was strapped tightly to his leg brought varying levels of discomfort. The ender-hybrid lazily watched the needle on his compass drift as Tommy moved somewhere east. He had faith that Tommy would break him out. He just had to be patient.</p><p>A knock on his door sent Ranboo panicking as he threw the compass into his enderchest before he answered the door, only to back away in fear. Dream marched in and slammed the door shut before pinning the tall teen against the wall of his own home.</p><p>"How the hell did you know Tommy was alive?" Dream demanded, causing Ranboo to panic and teleport out of Dream's clutches to the opposite side of his home. He let out a warning screech, only to back up when Dream unstrapped his axe.</p><p>"Tell me now or I will kill you," Dream warned. Ranboo uneasily inched his way to his enderchest. "He gave me a compass. He has a lodestone on his person at all times," Ranboo answered honestly before handing Dream the Home compass.</p><p>If Ranboo could see Dream's face, he would have seen the smirk morph into a sadistic grin. Instead, Ranboo watched the clearly deranged tyrant leave his home <strike>prison</strike>, in search of the younger teen. Immediately, Ranboo grabbed the To Tommy compass and threw it into the fireplace.</p><p>As the metal melted and warped, and the enchantments evaporated, Ranboo could only hope that Tommy would hurry. He could see it in Niki's eyes that his time was running out. The way Tubbo had started construction on a courthouse had not eased his fears in the slightest. The way Fundy and Quackity refused to talk to him hurt him a lot more than he wanted to admit. Ranboo prayed for more time.</p><p>And his prayers were answered, through an obnoxiously cute green parrot and a piece of paper. Tony flew up to Ranboo's window, the ender-hybrid letting the little bird in quickly before a L'Manberg citizen noticed his presence.</p><p>Tony dropped the folded piece of paper onto the ground and did a little circle around Ranboo's head before flying away. Ranboo bent down and unfolded the piece of paper, and a new spark of hope ignited within him.</p><p>
  <strong>Stay Strong, I'm Coming -Big T</strong>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>"It was never meant to be."</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>